As prosecutors prepare to try former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on murder and gun charges, new details have emerged about a 2007 bar fight at the University of Florida that suggest the incident was far from trivial.

According to a 2007 police report obtained Monday by The Wall Street Journal, Hernandez had a brush with the law at Florida before he'd even played a down.

On April 28, 2007, only months after Hernandez had enrolled at Florida, he showed up at a restaurant called The Swamp near Florida's campus in Gainesville, a two-story bar and grill that features framed jerseys of former Florida stars.

According to the police report, here's what took place: A waitress brought Hernandez two "alcoholic drinks." After Hernandez finished the drinks, a restaurant employee named Michael Taphorn delivered a bill. Hernandez said he hadn't ordered the drinks and refused to pay, at which point a "verbal altercation" began between the two men. Hernandez called a witness over to try to intervene, but a resolution couldn't be reached. Hernandez was told to leave and escorted out by Taphorn.

After stepping outside, according to the report, Hernandez told police Taphorn "got in his face" and began yelling at him. As Taphorn turned to walk away, Hernandez punched him in the side of the head—a fact Hernandez didn't dispute.

Tim Tebow, the former star Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner now with the New England Patriots, "was a witness and tried to [defuse] the situation before it became physical," said a police spokesman. Tebow's name wasn't included in the official police report.

Taphorn complained of hearing loss in his ear but refused medical treatment on the scene, the report said. The next day, however, doctors discovered his right eardrum had burst, an injury he was told would take four to six weeks to heal, according to the police report.

Hernandez's name is redacted from the report, but he is identified as a Hispanic male from Bristol, Conn., who played tight end for Florida.

According to the notes of D.H. Rowe, an officer investigating the incident, "He and Tebow both said they had already called Coach Urban Meyer and advised him of their involvement in the incident. I told them we would not be pursuing any charges against (redacted) for drinking alcoholic beverages at the restaurant, but that it would be noted in the report, so the coaching staff may handle that issue internally."

Earlier in the report, Rowe had noted, "Tebow was concerned that his name would get out to the media as being involved in the incident. I assured him that we would not contact the media, and that he was being listed in the report as a witness only."

Tobias, the Gainesville police spokesman, said officers didn't arrest Hernandez, who was 17 at the time. But given the severity of the injury to the victim, the department recommended a charge of felony battery—a crime that, for adults in Florida, carries a maximum of up to five years in prison.

Taphorn, whom colleagues described Monday as a former manager at the restaurant, could not be reached for comment. Danny Zeenberg, manager at The Swamp, said the restaurant doesn't serve alcohol to underage customers.

It is unclear how or whether the case was resolved. Tobias, the police spokesman, said Hernandez could have been given deferred prosecution, a type of diversion program. It is possible prosecutors declined to bring charges.

An incident report said that "Taphorn did state that he has been contacted by legal staff and coaches with UF and that they are working on an agreement however nothing has been finalized. Taphorn stated that he may request that the charges be dropped. I advised him that if that was his final decision that he would have to contact the State Attorney's office."

Officials at Florida didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. An Ohio State spokesman said that former Florida football coach Urban Meyer, who is now the Buckeyes' coach, prefers not to comment.

Bill Cervone, state attorney for Florida's Eighth Judicial Circuit, said he had not seen the police report from the May 2007 incident. Cervone said he could not comment on the specifics of the case because at age 17, Hernandez was a juvenile at the time. In general, Cervone said, the state of Florida sets a fairly high bar in felony battery cases. He said it is essential for the victim in such cases to testify. It is not clear from the police report whether the victim was willing to testify or not.

Tobias said the department released the report to the Journal because the department's policy allows for such releases when police recommend a felony charge. Cervone said his office has a different standard for public disclosure. "I can't really talk about a specific juvenile case," he said.

Hernandez was arrested last week on murder and weapons charges stemming from the shooting death of an acquaintance, Odin Lloyd. Hernandez pleaded not guilty last week. "It is, at bottom, a circumstantial case. It is not a strong case," said his lawyer, Michael Fee, in court last week.

Boston police are also investigating whether Hernandez is connected with the shooting deaths of two men on a Boston street near a nightclub Hernandez attended on July 16, 2012, according to a person briefed on the matter.

Hernandez, who was released by the Patriots, was served Friday with a civil suit that alleges that he shot another acquaintance, Alexander Bradley, in a car after they got into an argument in a Miami strip club in February, Bradley's lawyer, David Jaroslawicz, said Monday. No charges have been filed in that case.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.